Corporate Barriers to Breast Feeding

But as pressure to breast-feed increases, a two-class system is emerging for working mothers. For those with autonomy in their jobs-generally, well-paid professionals-breast-feeding, and the pumping it requires, is a matter of choice. It is usually an inconvenience, and it may be an embarrassing comedy of manners, involving leaky bottles tucked into briefcases and brown paper bags in the office refrigerator. But for lower-income mothers-including many who work in restaurants, factories, call centers and the military-pumping at work is close to impossible, causing many women to decline to breast-feed at all, and others to quit after a short time.It is a particularly literal case of how well-being tends to beget further well-being, and disadvantage tends to create disadvantage-passed down in a mother's milk, or lack thereof.

The photo shows bags of breastmilk in a freezer on top of someone's lunch. EEEWWW! The pumping mother should at least have enough condsideration for her fellow workers to store bags of her milk in a tightly sealed (Tupperware) container. Ever had your lunch soaked by someone else's breastmilk? I have, and it's not pretty!

I understand the "gist" of the article, and believe it is probably true that women working in "low status" jobs have the greatest need to breastfeed, and the least opportunity. But the author is not helped in making that point by displaying a photo of someone storing their milk in a very inconsiderate manner!